METLIFE ANNOUNCES ENHANCED PRODUCT AND PRICING FOR MEDICAL AND EXECUTIVE MARKETS WITHIN INDIVIDUAL DISABILITY INCOME INSURANCE

METLIFE ANNOUNCES ENHANCED PRODUCT AND PRICING FOR MEDICAL AND EXECUTIVE MARKETS WITHIN INDIVIDUAL DISABILITY INCOME INSURANCE

NEW YORK, September 16, 2009

MetLife today announced that it has enhanced its pricing for its individual disability income insurance (IDI) product portfolio.  In many cases, this has led to reduced rates as well as an increased pool of occupations and executives that qualify for the 6S occupational class which translates into lower rates on most Guaranteed Standard Issue (GSI)  cases (either Employer paid or Voluntary).  In addition, MetLife has increased the maximum issue age on its Your Occupation rider, offering more medical professionals, and others, the opportunity to purchase this protection.

“The changes we have made to the pricing of our IDI product portfolio reflect MetLife’s commitment to the disability marketplace and to protecting consumers,” says Lynn Dumais, vice president, Individual Disability Insurance Product Management for MetLife. “This protection is an important part of an individual’s personal financial safety net and addresses consumers’ concerns about loss of income. In fact, according to the 7th annual MetLife Study of Employee Benefits Trends, 68% of employees feel unprepared if a principal wage earner can no longer work because of a disability.”

As part of the initiative, MetLife has decreased rates across many market segments, with an average overall total rate reduction of 4% (Omni Advantage) and 11% (Omni Select) across all occupational classes and benefit designs^.1  MetLife has also increased the number of occupations eligible for MetLife’s top occupational class (6S) by adding executives to the existing professional occupations such as architects, attorneys, CPA’s and technical and managerial professionals already included in MetLife’s top occupational class.

In addition, MetLife will now offer more medical and other professionals the opportunity to purchase the Your Occupation rider by increasing the maximum age at which the rider is offered. The maximum age for this rider has been extended from age 45 to 50 in some occupational classes and from age 45 to age 59 in others.  This rider also enhances the IDI coverage by removing the “not gainfully employed” requirement from MetLife’s base definition of Total Disability, which will allow for payment of the Total Disability Benefit if the insured is under the appropriate care of a physician and unable to perform the material and substantial duties of his/her regular occupation, even if employed full-time in another occupation.

As part of the company’s efforts to educate consumers about individual disability income insurance and the protection it offers, MetLife's new online Term Life and Disability Simplifier Tool helps consumers determine how much term life and disability coverage they need and how much it will cost in three simple steps. The tool is accessible free of charge at www.metlife.com/package.